Mortadella, which in Italian is called bolognais a kind of meat cold cut, which is made in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, whose capital is the city of Bologna, which is why it is usually talked about bologna mortadella to refer to this quality product considered a deli all over the world.
To taste the authentic Italian mortadella of Bologna, tradition recommends cut it into very thin slices that allow you to enjoy its flavor more. That yes, nothing prevents that when making a sandwich or sandwich it is loaded with abundant slices -very thin- of this delicious meat product.
What is mortadella and where does its name come from?
The origin of the word Mortadella, as is often the case with other products and ingredients, is controversial. for some comes from mortar, the instrument with which pork was ground to make a paste with which to make this product. For others, comes from the myrtlea spice that was already used in ancient Rome to season sausages, both theories having evidence that could support them.
the italian mortadella – the Mortadella Bolognese -is a sausage made with spiced pork meat, -with myrtle, pepper and nutmeg- to which are added bacon bits or fat call lardelliwhich makes it have those peculiar round white spots that identify it.
How to make mortadella
Bologna mortadella is a product that is protected by the seal of quality of the Denomination of origin of the European Union. This protection guarantees that its elaboration is done following a strict process both with respect to the ingredients used to make it, and with respect to the elaboration process. Also, to be authentic bologna mortadellamust be produced in Italy, specifically in the regions of Emilia-Romagna, a part of Tuscany, Piedmont and Veneto.
The meat that can be used is lean pork, although it can be mixed with certain proportions of pork tongue, heart or kidney meat. The meat is minced and then seasoned with spices and nuts, to then add the jowl fat cubes or lardellibefore being stuffed into natural or artificial casings, depending on the quality of the final product.
Classes of mortadella and other similar products
In Italy there are other varieties of Mortadella, other than Bologna. One of them is the Tuscan mortadella or Prato mortadella, which has garlic inside. There is also another mortadella called Amatricianamade in the Apennine mountains, whose peculiar characteristic is that it is a smoked mortadella.
Outside of Italythere are sausages similar to mortadella in the Middle East, being a mortadella made with lamb, Bologna sausages from the United States and other similar preparations such as chopped pork.
In Spain, there are also two mortadella production areasthe most famous being the Sevillian mortadella that has green olives and there is also the Catalan mortadella.
The main difference between the bologna in the world -including the Spanish ones- and the Italian ones, is that outside of Italy the mortadella are considered sausages of low quality and cheap price, unlike the authentic Bologna mortadella which, as we pointed out before, is considered a haute cuisine or delicatessen producthaving a price according to said quality.
Mortadella and San Simón cheese sandwich recipe with caramelized onions
We will start by preparing the onion. Peel and cut into fine julienne strips or chop into not very small cubes. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the onion. Stir well. When it begins to brown, add salt and lower the heat to low-medium power.
Cook the onion stirring occasionally for at least 45 minutes. It will go browning and reducing its volume, until it begins to take on the toasty tone typical of caramelization. Continue cooking until you have the desired point. Reserve.
Cut the bread into not very thin slices. Spread a layer of each unit with mustard and place portions of San Simón cheese without rind. Divide the caramelized onion, the mortadella and a little more cheese. Season and cover with the other slices.
Lightly brush the outer sides of the bread with oil or butter and grill in a nonstick skillet over medium heat on both sides. The bread has to be toasted to taste on the outside and the cheese melted.
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Full recipe | Mortadella and San Simón cheese sandwich with caramelized onion
Other recipes with mortadella
Veal packets, Bologna mortadella and Mahón cheese, delicious appetizer recipe
- Ingredients: Thin beef fillets Bologna mortadella sliced Mahón cheese Salt Egg 1 breadcrumbs Wheat flour Extra virgin olive oil
- Elaboration: Stretch the veal fillet on the work surface, season it with salt. Put on each one, a slice of Bologna mortadella and a piece of Mahón cheese. Then, roll it up on itself, and you can tuck in the parts of the stuffing that want to “escape”; or you can stretch the meat a little to cover everything well. Now it’s time to bread our little beef packages, for this we need three dishes; one with flour, another with beaten egg and the last with breadcrumbs. We will pass each packet through the flour, the egg and the breadcrumbs, in this order. To prevent the melted cheese from coming out, I recommend a second pass through the egg and breadcrumbs, which is called double breading. To finish the recipe, we have left to fry them in abundant olive oil over medium-low heat, until they are well browned.
Full recipe | Veal packets, with mortadella and Mahón cheese
Tomato and mozzarella toasts with bologna mortadella
- Ingredients: Loaf bread in large slices 2 Tomato vine, pear or other tasty variety 2 Fresh Mozzarella 1 Bologna Mortadella sliced 4 Extra virgin olive oil Capers Ground black pepper Coarse salt
- Elaboration: Cut the slices of bread, approximately one finger thick. Brush lightly with olive oil and toast to taste or leave as is. Cut the tomato into not very thick slices. Drain the liquid from the mozzarella and cut into slices of about the same size. Distribute two or three slices of tomato on the bread and add a little coarse salt. Place the mozzarella on top, add black pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Arrange the Bologna mortadella slices on top, folding them on themselves. Top with some drained capers and add a little more pepper or olive oil to taste if desired. Serve preferably right away, although they can be kept for a few hours in the fridge, well covered.
Full recipe | Tomato and mozzarella toasts with bologna mortadella
Other ideas to use the bologna
In addition to these recipes with mortadella, you can make other recipes using this delicious ingredient. Beyond sandwiches and sandwiches, you can make crêpes with mortadella, use it as a filling for cannelloni or lasagna and to cover pizzas after taking them out of the oven, or to place on toasted bread to form delicious canapés.
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